Suddenly, Astartes, like Black Knights, appeared in the ship's hold.
These warriors were surrounded by a mysterious aura—tough, hard, and terrifying. Each seemed forged by countless battles. Even the well-trained Flesh Tearers and Ultramarines found them difficult to contend with.
Especially since they were led by a daemon Prince.
Daemon Prince Marthus, the daemon Prince with the head of a Lion and a pair of wings, was the most corrupted among the Fallen Angels, so much so that he earned the favor of the gods and was elevated to daemon Prince.
It was he who, taking advantage of the chaos of the Great Rift, rescued Luther from the deep dungeons of The Rock.
Many among the Fallen Angels gathered around Luther for different reasons.
Some were still loyal to Luther, some believed Luther could resurrect Lion and absolve their sins, while others were tired of hiding and hoped to rebuild the First Legion.
Marthus, however, was driven purely by hatred—extreme hatred. He hated Lion, and he hated the Dark Angels.
He was a descendant of the Knights of the Order of Sirius, destroyed by Lion on Caliban in ancient times. Harboring hatred, he infiltrated the Dark Angels with the help of the gods.
He was originally a poisoned thorn planted by the gods within the First Legion. However, due to the First Legion's structure, which even the gods found troublesome, his infiltration was never very successful. He never rose to the upper echelons of the Dark Angels, remaining an ordinary warrior.
Marthus' purpose in bringing out Luther was simply to follow the will of the gods and to further destroy the First Legion.
He was one of the few who knew that Luther had been deceived by Erebus and the gods. Now, he watched with a mocking gaze as the foolish Fallen Angels, Ultramarines, and Flesh Tearers slaughtered each other.
But he quickly grew dissatisfied; the efficiency of the killing was too slow.
Titus, the Ultramarine blessed by Konrad Curze, had exhausted his strength while fighting Be'lakor. Now, he was heavily protected by the Ultramarines and Flesh Tearers. In Marthus' eyes, Titus was the most valuable trophy.
However, although the Fallen Angels had suppressed the Flesh Tearers and Ultramarines, they had not broken through.
Leading this force now was Chapter Master Seth of the Flesh Tearers, currently clashing with a Fallen Angel who had two pistols at his waist, wielded a Chainsword, and bore the mark of the Dreadwing.
Seth was wreathed in a chilling aura of blood, and a dark fury poured from his eyes. Bloodthirst and Black Rage simultaneously empowered the Flesh Tearers, momentarily suppressing the Fallen Angel.
The training of the former Dark Angels Legion proved useful. Through the insignia on the Fallen Angel's worn power armor, he identified him.
Knight of the Second Destroyer Squad, Third Company, Fifteenth Legion, a member and one of the original founders of the Dreadwing, and a Custodian of the Knights of the Three Keys.
Marthus had an impression of this warrior and remembered that he was of Terra descent—Marthus held less hatred for Terra descendants because they bore no blood debt from the Knights of the Order of Sirius. This warrior was one of the five Space Marines originally forged by the Emperor, a member of the Dark Angels' predecessor, the Uncrowned Princes.
It seems he is old, powerless, and decaying. He cannot even defeat a mere Chapter Master of a successor Chapter. How ugly.
This is the consequence of being rigid and unwilling to accept the blessings of Chaos: old age, infirmity, and a weakening body.
Marthus sneered, deciding to enter the fray himself.
"Stand down, Zabriel!" Marthus commanded in a cold tone, ordering the Fallen Angel named Zabriel to retreat and let him, the daemon Prince, deal with Gabriel Seth.
Zabriel obeyed Marthus' command, seemingly pleased, and smoothly retreated, yielding his position in the fight with Seth to Marthus.
Marthus was very satisfied with this, but he did not notice that Zabriel made a subtle gesture towards Gabriel Seth in the last moment before disengaging.
As he retreated behind Marthus, a unique cunning, characteristic of a son of the Lion, flashed in his eyes.
The battle was not confined to this ship's hold.
In the hold where Seed of Destruction and Khârn were fighting, Fallen Angels also descended.
Looking at Seed of Destruction and Khârn, both wreathed in blood, mangled to a bloody pulp, and severely mutated, appearing like daemons, the Fallen Angels hesitated.
Which of these two was Seed of Destruction, and which was Khârn?
How could Khârn have changed so much from how he looked ten thousand years ago?
Why were a Blood God's chosen and a daemon Prince fighting each other?
Which side should they help?
The Fallen Angels were momentarily hesitant, but their hesitation didn't last long.
One reason was that they quickly noticed traces of power armor still on Khârn, confirming his identity.
Another reason was that shortly after they charged, the Axe of Khorne, wreathed in blood, crashed down upon them.
Seed of Destruction swung his axe, killing the first few Fallen Angels who approached.
"Wretches! Do you know what a man's joy is?"
"Hunting down your enemies, invading their lands, plundering their wealth, listening to the terrified cries of women and children, and challenging opponents as fierce as eagles."
"Khârn is my opponent, not my enemy! Get out of here!"
Seed of Destruction laughed wildly, fighting Khârn while using his axe to force back the Fallen Angels who tried to help him.
Ultimately, Seed of Destruction had no intention of helping Erebus; he was only here because of the Blood God's command.
The Blood God helped Erebus because Erebus promised to help the Blood God corrupt Titus.
But now Erebus had failed. If he failed, what reason did the Blood God have to help him?
Seed of Destruction was still here not to help Erebus, but simply to enjoy the fight with Khârn.
This was his great pleasure, and he did not want the Fallen Angels to share it.
As for Erebus, Seed of Destruction felt his axe would be sullied even by striking him.
Khârn, covered in blood, looked at Seed of Destruction.
"Seed of Destruction, I regret that I haven't fought you like this, or fought alongside you, in the past ten thousand years."
"You are indeed a good man. I appreciate your nobility. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will repay you with another battle to the death."
Khârn's words were heavy and calm, causing a sense of unease to stir in Seed of Destruction's heart.
"What do you mean?" Seed of Destruction asked, lowering his voice.
"I mean, you are a good man, and I am merely a despicable avenger."
"An avenger will stop at nothing. An avenger has no honor, nor does an avenger fight alone."
Khârn replied calmly.
A terrifying gunshot rang out at this moment.
It was the mournful cry of a raven, ferrying the living to the realm of death.
After deciding he couldn't deal with Be'lakor, Sarojin swiftly moved through the shadows, returning to this ship's hold, lurking in the dark, waiting for the moment to help Khârn deal with Seed of Destruction.
Then the trigger was pulled.
A large-caliber steel needle directly pierced Seed of Destruction's head, and the old reliable three-step explosion occurred simultaneously. Half of Seed of Destruction's head burst open in front of Khârn.
Seed of Destruction wanted a bloodthirsty fight.
Khârn only cared about achieving vengeance.
It must be said that Seed of Destruction was capable. Half of his head exploded, brains splattering everywhere, and his skull exposed to the air.
But he still did not die immediately.
"Pah!!!"
Seed of Destruction spat a thick glob of phlegm onto Khârn's chest. The daemon Prince, born on Ancient Terra, glared furiously at Khârn:
Then Seed of Destruction saw Khârn's cold, empty eyes, devoid of anything else, hollow like a pitch-black sun.
He had intended to curse Khârn as a coward, but upon seeing Khârn's eyes, he laughed in anger:
"I've seen your kind before, Khârn."
"You don't know how many humans have looked at me, my soldiers, my bloodsons, my steeds with such eyes."
"They abandoned dignity, honor, and even life, using every means to try and kill me, to take revenge on me, to halt the advance of my iron cavalry."
"I enjoy that look. I truly envy Erebus for being able to enjoy that look from you."
Then, Seed of Destruction grinned maliciously:
"You owe me a battle to the death. Don't die before I kill you or you kill me, traitor Khârn, avenger Khârn."
Khârn nodded, then raised the bloodson in his hand.
"If I am alive after I achieve my vengeance, I will," he said to Seed of Destruction.
Seed of Destruction laughed wildly: "Then only Mongke Tengri knows."
Khârn did not know what Mongke Tengri was. Perhaps it was a term Seed of Destruction used to refer to the Blood God.
But Khârn didn't know if the Blood God still blessed him, or if he was angry at his defiance.
But he no longer cared. He simply brought down his axe, severing Seed of Destruction's head.
Seeing Seed of Destruction dead, the Fallen Angels tried to stop Khârn.
But their answer was the whistling bloodson and a pair of dark twin swords.
Sarojin stood beside Khârn, holding the two cold swords. Wearing his raven helmet, he simply nodded to Khârn.
"You are a more valuable asset than I. I will hold back these Fallen Angels."
"Go and seek your vengeance. Go and kill Erebus."
Khârn nodded, said nothing more, and plunged directly into the light portal leading to the next hold.
The Fallen Angels, seeing their clear numerical advantage, closed in on Sarojin, wreathed in a chilling aura.
"Who are you? Do you think you can stop a son of Lion alone?" the leading Fallen Angel demanded.
Sarojin silently bit down on a high-efficiency pill in his mouth and activated the Portable Pyramid hidden inside his raven helmet.
"I am a son of Corax."
"Compared to the legion's elites who sacrificed themselves on Istvaan V, I am just an ordinary Raven Guard."